Arrest of Gulf Cartel chief sparks Mexico border gunfights

MEXICO (AP) — Authorities say the arrest of the man who headed the once powerful Gulf Cartel sparked the gunfights and blockades of burning vehicles that left at least three people dead near Mexico's border with the United States.

The arrested leader was identified as Jose Tiburcio Hernandez Fuentes, who stepped into the cartel's leadership vacuum as the group was steadily losing influence with the arrests of key members.

National Security Commission head Monte Alejandro Rubido says the Friday violence in Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas, followed the arrest of Hernandez Fuentes and three other suspected members of the group as their comrades tried to free them.

Rubido said Saturday that Hernandez Fuentes has been hard to capture because he has used more than eight false identities.